Station area success spurs bus lane plan

Earmarking separate lanes for buses has started with streamlining of the vehicles in the Patna Junction area.

Superintendent of police (traffic) Chandrika Prasad said their priority was to make the station area free from any snarls. "The work regarding the same has already begun with autorickshaws now having a dedicated and marked stand there. The buses would also be made to follow a single line as the drivers create unnecessary chaos at the busy roundabout," the officer said.

As a first step towards the same, buses coming to the Patna Junction roundabout from any given point just have the road towards Buddha Marg to get out of the area.

"They will not be allowed to ply on other roads. For example, if a bus comes to the station from the Dakbungalow roundabout, the driver will have to take a round here, wait for passengers in a queue along with other buses in front of the 'May I Help You' booth of the police. Then, they have to move out of the area taking the road moving towards Buddha Marg. The bus can move along the road and further get out near the Kotwali T-junction. They will not be allowed a U-turn to move towards the Dakbungalow roundabout again. It has already been started a few days ago to maintain order. Earlier, these buses used to just stand in a scattered away everywhere creating a lot of problems for other commuters. They have been instructed to be in a proper queue when it comes to picking passengers," another traffic police officer said.

With the move yielding success, the plan to create dedicated bus lanes in some of the roads has taken a boost.

"The bus lane idea is good as it will solve some major traffic issues involving buses. At present, the buses move in a haphazard way and driving dangerously at full speed. Common people are always at a risk. The police feel that proper bus lanes for them will lead them to reduce speed and drive carefully. The transport department will be taken into consideration for the same. A proper study needs to be conducted and only after then the roads will be selected," the traffic SP added.

Bus lanes would certainly come up in wide stretches like Bailey Road but the process is on to include other important roads also.

Commuters agree that buses are a traffic menace. "The railway station area remains totally clogged all the time because of the buses and autorickshaws. Moreover, the city buses drive very rashly and there have been quite a few accidents because of these buses, too. The police need to take these rash drivers into task and something needs to be thought about to streamline them," Kumar Avinash, a Patna based shopkeeper said.

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